India Reports Record Spike Of Over 5,200 New COVID-19 Cases - Gov't

Sumaira FH Published May 18, 2020 | 11:30 AM

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2020) The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India appears to be on exponential rise as the country continues reporting record spikes in daily increments, with more than 5,200 cases confirmed in the 24-hour period to Monday, according to the latest situation update from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The previous two days saw the number of COVID-19 cases in India increase from 85,940 to 90,927.

The total case count in India has now reached 96,169, including 56,316 active cases under treatment, the ministry said.

The death toll from COVID-19 has grown by 157 to a total of 3,019 fatalities.

Recoveries count 36,823, an increase of 2,715 over the past day.

The central Maharashtra state continues being the hotbed of infection in the country, with 33,053 confirmed cases. It is followed by the westernmost Gujarat state with 11,379 cases and the southeastern Tamil Nadu state with 11,224 cases.

The Indian government has divided the country into red, orange and green zones depending on the epidemiological situation. In the green zones, where the infection rate is believed to be low, public transport and certain businesses were allowed to continue working.

The nationwide lockdown will remain in effect until May 31.